Increased leukocyte adhesion to vascular endothelium in preeclampsia is inhibited by antioxidants

To test the hypothesis that plasma from women with preeclampsia increases leukocyte adhesion to vascular endothelial cells and that antioxidants inhibit this effect.

Plasma from 12 women with severe preeclampsia and 12 with normal pregnancy was tested in an in vitro leukocyte-endothelium adhesion assay in the presence or absence of vitamin E, vitamin C, or N-acetylcysteine.

Preeclamptic plasma significantly increased monocyte (U937 cells) and T-cell (Jurkat) adhesion to human umbilical vein (HUVEC) and microvascular endothelial cells, compared with normal pregnant plasma. The antioxidants vitamin E, vitamin C, and N-acetylcysteine significantly inhibited monocyte adhesion to HUVEC in the presence of preeclamptic but not normal pregnant plasma. Increased adhesion in response to preeclamptic plasma was not mediated through a protein kinase C (PKC) mechanism, because the PKC inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide I had no effect on adhesion in the presence of preeclamptic plasma.

Severe preeclampsia is associated with increased leukocyte-endothelium adhesion and clinically useful antioxidants can inhibit this effect.